Due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the United States, including severe weather conditions in some locations, more than 20 Apple Stores have now been temporarily closed around the country.
The closures had started earlier this month due to reports of multiple COVID-19 cases among Apple Store employees. One of the first closures was of an Apple Store in Southlake, Texas, after 22 retail employees tested positive for COVID.
[Update: All of Apple’s retail stores in New York City are closed for walk-in customers but they will be able to pick up items ordered online.]
Now on @theterminal: Apple has closed its New York City retail stores to shoppers because of the Covid spike. That includes Fifth Ave, Grand Central, SoHo and all major flagships. Pick-up in store of online orders is still available. Previous closures: https://t.co/OKYDkXSrs8
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) December 27, 2021
List of temporarily closed Apple Stores grows in the United States due to rising COVID cases
It was reported that this has been happening due to a huge discrepancy between Apple’s SOPs and their actual implementation by employees in Stores. Specifically, at the Southlake Apple Store, SOPs were already not being strictly followed before Black Friday, but during and after the sale, their implementation went out of the window and many employees were asked to work despite showing COVID symptoms.
As noted by MacRumors, the latest Apple Store locations that have been temporarily closed in the United States include the following:
- Apple Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C.
- Apple Century City in Los Angeles, CA
- Apple Beverly Center in Los Angeles, CA
- Apple Walnut Street in Philadelphia, PA
- Apple Baybrook in Friendswood, TX
- Apple First Colony Mall in Sugar Land, TX
- Apple Highland Village in Houston, TX
- Apple Memorial City in Houston, TX
- Apple Willowbrook Mall in Houston, TX
- Apple The Woodlands in The Woodlands, TX
- Apple Crocker Park in Westlake, OH
- Apple Eton in Woodmere, OH
- Apple Summit Mall in Akron, OH
- Apple Fair Oaks in Fairfax, VA
- Apple Potomac Town Center in Woodbridge, VA
- Apple Cumberland Mall in Atlanta, GA
- Apple Lenox Square in Atlanta, GA
- Apple Saddle Creek in Germantown, TN
- Apple The Gardens Mall in Palm Beach Gardens, FL
- Apple Pheasant Lane in Nashua, NH
- Apple Towson Town Center in Towson, MD
Apple has also temporarily closed the following stores due to weather conditions:
- Apple Alderwood in Lynnwood, WA
- Apple Bellevue Square in Bellevue, WA
- Apple Southcenter in Tukwila, WA
- Apple Tacoma Mall in Tacoma, WA
- Apple University Village in Seattle, WA
Despite the closure, most of the aforementioned store locations will still provide service for order pick-up.
Apple has said that it is continuing to monitor conditions and adjust its health measures to ensure the safety of its employees and customers.
